YORE SHOES
Step Into The Past...
Early Shoes
The earliest evidence of footwear we have is from the Ice Age 500,000 years ago when a frozen Iceman was discovered in 1991 in the Alps mountains in Tyrol, Italy. He is now known as Ötzi. He was wearing shoes made of grass netting, deerskin and bearskin. Grass fibres binded the shoes together and fur was strapped to the feet also to keep him warm in the sub-zero climate. Any clothing this early on was of course practical and not for fashion. Survival was the most important thing...
Medieval
Children’s shoes in the medieval era were similar to adult shoes in that they were made of leather and had a simple design, but they didn’t have long toes. They were not fancy in design and were not usually brightly coloured either. They were nice and light and very flexible though, meaning that they were probably very comfy.
The Romans started off not wearing shoes at all but as time went on, shoes and their colour, height and designs became a symbol of social status in their communities. Educated people also, only began to wear shoes. This meant that the remains we have today of sandals that the Romans wore only tell us one side of roman life.
Rich ladies in Roman times wore purple or green sandals and those who lived in Pompeii, where Vesuvius erupted, specifically liked to wear bright white, red or gold edged leather.
Noblemen wore black sandals. They sometimes wore purple or scarlet depending on how high up in society they were.
The lower classes were restricted to whatever they could easily find and make themselves. Their shoes were usually made of plaited palm tree leaves, grass or papyrus- which is what they and the Egyptians used to write on.
As time went on, high society shoes were more ornaments than necessities and their day shoes and slippers became more lavish with gold designs and jewels embedded in them.
Did you Know? Gaius Julius Caesar was told off for wearing high leg red sandals in public because red was usually only worn by young Romans. Roman politicians generally wore black with gold or silver crescents at the front with lots of knot details. Poorer people were restricted to one or two knots.
Fashionable medieval shoes had long toes and were often called ‘Poulaines’ or ‘Pikes’. They were made of very thin leather and didn’t have a heel. Remember the earlier in time, the more basic transportation and tools were, so shoes would have to be practical and comfortable for walking long distances and working hard.
The long toes were often filled with wool or moss and men wore longer toes than women. Men also wore very brightly coloured ‘hose’ and garters with their shoes, just like the legend of Robin Hood and his Merry Men.
As time went on the toes got pointier and weren’t filled with wool or moss but were just worn loose. This meant that when the wearer sat down they would even droop a little and flop over. More expensive shoes were silk lined but poorer people couldn’t use such luxurious material for their shoes. However, they were allowed to wear fancy shoes too. Farmers began to earn a better wage because wool was in demand and so they could actually be a part of medieval fashion too, even if leather was not a bright colour and breakable wood was used instead of expensive materials.
During the times of Henry VI, Henry V, Henry VI and Richard III (the Lancaster and York days), long toed shoes continued to be fashionable. This was until 1467 when parliament made a law which stopped shoes with toes more than two inches extra at the front. Any shoemaker who made shoes with toes longer than two inches were ‘cursed’ by the church and had to pay a massive fine of twenty shillings.
Did you know? In the time of Richard II from 1377 – 1399 there were exact measurement laws for how long shoe toes could be. Kings and princes could have extreme two and a half feet long toes, nobles could have two, Knights could have eighteen inches and lower nobles could have six inches.
